Pirate Girl
by servatis-a-pereculum
Summary: Victoria Reming was the daughter of the governor that came two years before Weatherby Swann. She goes on a voyage across the ocean to Port Royal. But what happens when Captain Jack Sparrow kidnaps her? Help me think of a better title! CHAPTERS REPOSTED
1. Kidnapped

Summary: Victoria Reming is NOT Elizabeth Swann's cousin. I repeat, she's NOT. She's a completely OC! Victoria's father was the governor before Elizabeth's father was. She was on a crossing from England ten years ago, heading for Port Royal to marry Thomas O'brien. But what happens when the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow kidnaps her? Hopefully this isn't a Mary-Sue, or AU, for that matter. Please R I am hopeless at writing summaries! CHAPTERS REPOSTED

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the PotC characters, except for Victoria. Even though I WISH I could own it all…

          The ship tossed and turned simultaneously. Victoria Reming, sixteen years old, felt sick to her tightly corseted stomach. She staggered to the side, trying to concentrate on the horizon instead of the foaming black waves below. Toss, turn, toss, and turn. The fog grew thicker as Victoria felt worse. She wasn't used to the feel of the boat, being jerked around like a stringed puppet by the wind and waves. Her eyelids slowly grew heavier as she leaned further over the water. She looked out into the dense fog and imagined a huge pirate ship, with torn black sails heading for their ship, The Interceptor. 

"It looks real," she breathed, leaning out. Before she could look closer, a cold hand touched her shoulder. Quickly, she reeled around, breathing heavily.

"Haha, gotcha Vicky Ticky," a man said, laughing as Victoria's face grew redder with anger.

"Don't do that, Thomas!" she said, scowling at him. Thomas O'brien was a tall, robust man. Eight years her senior, Victoria's father met him while in England. He decided to betroth her to him. What Victoria's father didn't know was how cruel he was to Victoria.

"Are you excited about our wedding?" Thomas said, touching her shoulders. Victoria frowned, stepping away from him. 

"I'm…very eager," she lied, looking out into the horizon. The strong wind beat her, making her hair fly loose, slapping her face. Thomas smiled.

"I'm glad you are, then, dearest," he said, putting emphasis in his voice. She turned to face him just as he gave her a meaningful look. 

"I'm not **that** eager!" she snapped disgustedly, crossing her arms.

"If you really loved me, you would," he whispered, putting his arms around her and running his hands up her arms.

"Thomas, just..wait."

"For WHAT?"

"At least until we're married!" Victoria said, dreading the thought. "But I  won't marry you if I can help it," she muttered under her breath. She said it too loudly. Thomas's nostrils flared, but he quickly plastered on a pleasant smile. Too pleasant. He ran his hands down her arms more roughly. She spun around to face him.

"Stop." He ignored her, carelessly moving his hands around more. Victoria jerked her hand up to meet his nose. He doubled over, moaning in pain as he rubbed his nose. Victoria looked at him triumphantly, backing away from him. Thomas got up, screaming. 

"Bloody-" he didn't bother to finish his sentence. Instead, he shoved her. Too hard. Victoria plummeted over the side, screaming as she fell.

"Help!" she gulped one time, before sinking under the water. Her corset was robbing her of breath. Victoria flailed her arms wildly to get to the surface. She had to breathe, or she would die. She choked on saltwater as it entered her gaping mouth. Her hair came undone as it formed a cloud around her face. She saw nothing anymore. The voice of God was calling on her. Suddenly, a pair of hands wrapped around her middle…

          "Help!"  Victoria screamed, kicking at the black coverlet. The door of the cabin was pushed open, and someone ran in. She faltered when she realized that she wasn't in water. Opening her eyes, she could just make out in the dim light two men standing over her. One was wearing a large flaccid hat atop his head. His teeth were rotten yellow, a few falling out. Scales of decaying skin covered his face. A pistol was at his belt. The second man looked interesting to her. He had long black dreadlocks, held back with a dirty red bandana. Strings of beads and coins were embroidered into his hair. His eyes were lined with black kohl and his mouth was gaping at her, revealing three golden teeth and two silver ones. His goatee was separated into two tiny braids. A captain's hat sat atop his head, and he was holding a bottle of rum in one hand. At the moment, he was soaking wet. Victoria realized that she was, too. The whole cabin smelled strongly of salt. She noticed that this man carried a sword on his belt. She jumped.

          "Don't touch me. I didn't do anything. Please don't hurt me-" Victoria faltered when she saw a tattoo on the man's arm. It was branded with a "P". She gasped.

          "-you pirates."

          "Captain Jack Sparrow," the man said, apparently unruffled. He extended a hand to shake Victoria's. She lay there, staring at his tattoos. Awkwardly, he moved his hand back slowly and took a swig of rum instead.

          "Ok, I've had enough of this woman. She's staring at us like we be touched in the head. Take her away, Jack!" the other man said in a rough voice.

          "CAPTAIN Jack, Barbossa! Get it right, damn it!" The two began to argue bitterly, as Victoria absorbed her surroundings. The cabin was fairly large, the bed in the middle of the room. On one side was a tiny porthole, hovering above a small desk, littered with maps, sextants, quills and a monocular. The door stood in front of the bed, latched shut. Finally, Jack turned, realizing that she hadn't left.

          "You have a name, missy?" Barbossa said, crossing his arms. Jack scowled at him from behind his back.

          Victoria drew in breath, noticing that her corset wasn't on.

          "V-V-V-Victoria Reming, sir." Captain Jack tried to smile pleasantly.

          "Then you must be the governor's daughter," he said. Victoria nodded nervously.

          "Should we hold her hostage?" Barbossa whispered from the side of his mouth. 

          "I should like you to take me to Port Royal. My father will be waiting for me there, and I'm…getting married," she said sullenly, remembering Thomas.

"Oh, no, you see, pirates don't return what they get. We got you, girl, and you'll be stayin' for a long while," Barbossa said menacingly. Just then, Captain Sparrow looked out the tiny window in the cabin. His charcoal-lined eyes widened, giving him the appearance of a dead man. Quickly, he unsheathed his sword. He jerked his head towards the window, as Barbossa looked out and pulled out his pistol.

          Victoria looked the cutlass in Barbossa's hand. They moved to the sword in Captain Sparrow's hand.

          "W-w-why are your weapons out? Surely you don't want to kill me?" she said, with a quivering voice.

          "O' course not, milady. We would never hurt someone so fine like you," said Barbossa absently, before bolting out of the cabin. Victoria raised her eyebrows and looked at Jack for an explanation. He ignored her.

          "Ready the cannons!" Captain Sparrow yelled out the door before following him out.

          "Victoria, stay there! We need you as ransom!" Jack yelled, as the sounds of bombs exploding went off.      

Victoria fainted from the combined smell of salt and the realization that she had been kidnapped.


	2. Under Attack

Victoria could stand it no longer. She kicked the covers back and leaped out. Even though a woman wasn't supposed to use weapons, she grabbed Captain Sparrow's extra pistol from the bedside table. She clumsily tried to figure out how to load it when the door opened. It was Barbossa.

"Jack sent for ye! We need help!" he said fiercely, pulling Victoria's arm. Victoria stumbled outside as slowly, like a chain reaction, everyone stopped fighting. For a moment, everyone gaped at her in her loose fitting slip and her damp dirty hair. Then the whistles and the catcalls started.

"Yes, it is dreadful luck to bring a woman aboard. But whoever made this rule must've not seen the likes of this girl. Sparrow, you definitely know who to bring aboard!" the other men teased. Captain Sparrow looked embarrassedly at Victoria. She smiled nervously as the fighting recommenced. 

"FIGHT!" Barbossa said, shooting her pistol at a man who was running past them. Victoria gasped.

"How positively barbaric!" she moaned as she made for the door to go back inside. He grabbed her wrist.

"You stay with your people. Always. Don't matter if they got shot. You need to help us, girl! C'mon!" Victoria shook violently as Barbossa loaded her pistol correctly. He handed it to her. "Now go."

Victoria started running along the perimeter of the ship. She only knew that Barbossa and Captain Sparrow were on her side. She didn't know who was an enemy and who wasn't. There was nothing she could do except run and shoot at the sky. Suddenly, a pirate jumped in front of her.

"Well, hello fair lady. I s'pose yer the beauty Sparrow kidnapped. Why don't ye come over and let me get to know ye…" Victoria held the pistol in front of his face, between his eyes. He froze on the spot.

"Wench," he spat, before running off. She ran to the bow of the ship and stood in front of the steering wheel. Victoria noticed another pirate climbing on the sails. Taking action, she spun the wheel abruptly. The opposite sail swung around and threw him off into the water.

"Good going, love! Get inside 'fore another scallywag do you the same!" Captain Sparrow called out as he was fighting off a pirate. Victoria didn't need telling twice. She sped off to the cabin and locked herself in.

Once inside, she went through Captain Sparrow's dry clothes and pulled out a pair of pants and a shirt. She noticed her corset lying atop his clothes, slit down the middle. Victoria used it to cover the window before changing into her new pirate clothes. Suddenly, she heard a thud outside. A split second later, the door of the cabin was blasted open.

"In there!" someone shouted. Frantically, she slid beneath the bed and hid there. She willed herself not to breathe too loudly, or the pirates would find her. Victoria could hear them going through the clothes. They snickered when they saw her corset on the window.

"Stupid strumpet, what a sneaky little tease. Looks like ol' Jack got 'imself more than just another 'ostage, 'e got 'imself someone to entertain 'im!" a gruff voice said. She heard people laughing uproariously. Victoria clenched her teeth, holding herself back. But it was too late. They heard her grunt with anger.

"Lessee what we got 'ere 'neath the bed, shall we? Gold, per'aps?" another pirate said as Victoria saw bent knees on the floor. They were going to get her.

"Ah! No gold at all! But we found the girl! C'mon out, little strumpet! We won't 'urt you. We know what you've been doing for Jack an' all, and we just want to know why you can't do the same for us!" the pirate said, peering under the bed. Snickering followed, as she was yanked out from underneath the bed. Next thing she knew, she was pinned against the wall.

"You fools. Unhand me!" she said, trying to intimidate them. They laughed.

"She 'asn't been a pirate for long, 'as she? 'ave you not 'eard the tales? The stories? Surely you know of the Pirate's Code? Even the wenches in Tortuga know of that. So that's where you're from, is it? Tortuga?"

"Let me go! I'm _not_ a wench, I've barely known the Captain long enough to do _anything_ with him, and I'm _not_ going to do anything for you either!" Victoria yelled, trying not to sound frightened, as the pirates laughed again.

"What's all this about? Leave the girl alone!" Captain Jack Sparrow appeared in the doorway, yielding a sword. He swung it around at the pirates until they left, dropping Victoria into a heap. Finally, he turned to her.

"Ah. I see you're wearin' me clothes. Do they suit you?" he said, chuckling. Victoria mumbled a barely audible "yes". 

"Y'alright, love? Terrible thing for you to go through on your first day as a pirate. Now, Barbossa's preparing food in the galley. You can help him, or you can help me doing little things around me ship. Thing is, you can't sit in me cabin while I do the work all by me onesies, savvy?" he said, helping her up.

"I'll help you, Captain," Victoria said, not wanting to be alone anywhere with Barbossa. Jack flashed her a toothy grin.

"Thanks, love. Oh and by the by, you can just call me Jack." Victoria smiled back as he left muttering to himself about rum. She realized with a jolt that she had to help out, and ran after him.

Jack took her around the ship,  introducing Pintel, Ragetti, Bo'sun, Koehler, Jacoby, and a number of other pirates.

After being introduced, Victoria helped Jack with many other chores. She helped him scrub the blood off the deck, she repaired broken tools, and she ended up also helping Barbossa, which, in her opinion, was her most frightening experience.

Sometime while she was gutting a fish with Jack's first mate, Jack grabbed her arm.

"Follow me," he whispered into her ear. She trailed behind him, ending up in his cabin again. He gestured to his bed, and she sat. Locking the door behind him, he turned to her and smiled.

"Me favorite part of any day," he said, "is the rum." He pulled out two bottles of rum and handed the smaller one to Victoria.

"Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho," she said softly, taking a swig of the sweet rum.

"How do you know that song?" Jack said. Victoria shrugged.

"I used to think it'd be positively fascinating to meet a pirate. Especially you." Jack beamed, and for the first time being on a ship, Victoria felt warm inside, and her stomach hurt. But she didn't want it to go away. Her eyes remained locked on him, and she couldn't pull them away. Before she could do anything else, though, Barbossa barged in.

"Captain Sparrow. I need to have a word with ye."

A/N: Let me know if this is a better change. I took a crash course at the OFUCI. Look that up, it's under Mercuria, I think. It's very educational. And now, I hope it's not AU anymore. Tell me what you think! Review!


	3. Betrayal and Rum

Disclaimer: Oops, I forgot to do this in Chapter 2. Oh well, it's not like the creators of PotC are going to actually read this and sue me. But I'll do it anyways * in monotone * I don't own any of the original characters in this story, except for Victoria. Savvy?

A/N: WOO HOO! Midterm exams are over; the semester is over, now I have more time to work on this story! YAY! Btw, I may use some quotes from the movie, in case you didn't already know that. Let me know if it clogs up the story, I can be a sucky writer…but please, no flames...I don't take criticism well...

Victoria watched as Jack followed Barbossa out of the cabin. She felt incredibly stupid.

Curious, she heaved herself from the bed and went out the door looking for Jack. Before she could go in a certain direction, she heard a voice. It was Barbossa's. Quickly, she hid behind the wall as she saw the silhouetted shapes of Jack and Barbossa in Barbossa's sleeping quarters.

"All I'm saying is, if ever' thing's an equal share, that should also mean the location of the treasure, too. C'mon, Jack-"

"_Captain_ Sparrow."

"-Yes, yes we know all that. Be a good captain. Be fair. Give up the bearin's." Victoria frowned as she pressed her ear to the wall. Jack must have agreed, because they both left, Jack trailing behind Barbossa. His steps seemed leaden, as if he was reluctant to go. She made to follow them, but something compelled her to go back and wait in Jack's room. 

She tumbled onto his bed and tried to wait for them, but she fell asleep on top of the covers, still clutching the bottle of rum.

Victoria woke hours later, in the middle of the night. She noticed a dark lump on the other side of the bed. It was Jack. He had come back from his meeting with Barbossa. She noticed that his arm was holding up her neck, acting as a pillow. She smiled to herself as the stomachache came back. He had moved her to under the covers while she was asleep. She suddenly felt giddy. Very slowly, she drifted off back to sleep, content as a pirate full of rum.

She awoke again hours later, but this time Jack was up, leaning against the door. He seemed to be struggling against something. Or someone.

"What's going on?" she said sleepily. Jack's eyes widened.

"It's Barbossa and his mates. They're tryin' to get in. Come 'ere and give ol' Jack a hand, seeing as I gave you my whole arm during the night." He smirked, struggling against the other side. Victoria got up as her stomach churned again. She leaned against the door as she heard people on the other side. They were yelling.

"Get 'im outta thair!" a voice Victoria recognized as Barbossa's yelled. She struggled to keep it shut, as Jack did the same. Finally, he turned to her and noticed her face screwed up in concentration, trying to hold them off.

Victoria moaned in pain as the doorknob went into her back, shifting the weight. The slight slack in pressure caused the door to fly open, tossing both of them onto the bed. Barbossa stood in the doorway. He smiled viciously.

"Why, hello Jack," he said menacingly, "I seem to have interrupted something." Jack smiled sardonically. "Hello, Victoria." She nodded in acknowledgement. "Well, Jack, ye need ta come along with us. We got somethin' we wanna show ye." Pintel and Koehler appeared from behind him and grabbed Jack by the arms. Bo'sun and Ragetti grabbed Victoria's arms and dragged her behind them. On the deck, all the pirates were chanting as they pointed to a plank. Victoria stared, wide-eyed at it.

"I can't swim," she whispered.

"Off ye go then! Ladies first!" Barbossa said, shoving Victoria forward. She stepped tentatively onto the plank. The pirates cheered as she took another step forward. She distinctly heard Jack whispering to Koehler, "I've always liked you." A pang of fear shot through her. She didn't know how to swim at all. Last time, it was Jack who had saved her from the watery death. And it took her days to recover. She was going to die. She was going to die before she saw her parents again, before she even saw Jack again.

"Too long!" Bo'sun yelled, shaking the plank. Victoria screamed as she toppled over into the water. She choked on saltwater, the familiar feeling of drowning coming back to her. She sunk lower and lower into the water, as she kicked toward the surface. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't do it. Her lungs were on fire. Salt was going up her nose and into her mouth. Victoria let go completely and let herself sink to the bottom, hoping to die quickly and painlessly.

But Jack seemed to know where she was. A pair of arms grabbed her around the middle and propelled her to the surface. At last, she took a gratifying gulp of air as Captain Jack Sparrow dragged her through the water with one hand. Victoria squinted as she noticed a spit of land not very far ahead. So she wasn't going to drown, and Jack wasn't going to die of exhaustion.

Finally, they reached the tiny island. Jack collapsed on the shore, as did Victoria. They lay there for hours, exhausted, letting the small waves beat against their legs rhythmically in a lullaby.

The next morning Victoria's muscles were aching. She awoke to the sound of a pistol being loaded. It was Jack, sitting next to her and playing with a tiny bullet, inspecting it and reloading it. She jumped up.

"Are you going to kill yourself?" she said nervously. He shrugged.

"That was a very stupid thing I did, Victoria. I gave up the bearings for Isla de Muerta. If there's one thing you don't do as a captain, it's to give up the bearin's. I was the only one who knew how to get to it, and now, Barbossa has me ship _and_ me girl."

"G-G-girl?" Victoria said, blinking.

"Crystal. My girl. She's from Tortuga. I been there once, met her and fell in love with her. There's no doubt that he'll head stright for there and take her as well, since I told him about her, as well," he huffed, squinting out to the horizon.

"Oh," she said, closing her eyes in disbelief. "Well, I'm just going to take a walk around the island. I'll be back soon." She turned stiffly and began to walk. As soon as she was out of sight of Jack, her mind exploded with words.

_He has a girl! WHY am I so stupid all the time? WHY didn't I see this coming? He's Jack SPARROW, after all, the one known for luring all the women! Why am I always the girl that loses? WHY am I here in the first place, with Jack Sparrow-CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow? I actually liked him, I LIKED him, and I slept next to him! What does that get me? A torn heart! I can't get anyone to like me at all! It's not fair! I HATE Jack!_

Her thoughts stopped abruptly as she curved around a palm tree and found herself back in front of Jack, who was playing with the stray bullet again. She felt like she was being executed, slowly and drawn out.

"If you're going to shoot me, please do so without delay," she said, squinting in the sunlight.

"Is there a problem between us, Miss Reming?" Jack said, putting the pistol down. He was oblivious to the fact that he had broken her heart. Jack looked at Victoria intently. She shrugged.

"I thought-" but Jack stopped her. His expression grew from jaded to keyed up, looking behind her. She turned her head and looked in the same direction and saw white sails.

"There's our way off this godforsaken spit of land," Jack said, smiling. He squinted and looked closer. "And look, I believe they're rumrunners!"


	4. The Island

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone/anything except for Victoria. There, now on to the story.

A/N: A note to my reviewers:

Lady Skywalker: You MUST be an Orlando fan. * sigh* It's ok we all make mistakes sometimes. Hopefully you shall correct yours and realize that JOHNNY DEPP IS WAAAAAAAAAAAY BETTER THAN ORLANDO!!!! 

Labrat47: AAAAAAAAAH! I'm clawing my eyes out, waiting for the "moment". * inhale* I'm going to take this slowly…. I'm torturing myself, but that's ok… I'm doing it for the wonderful readers/reviewers…

Ok, on to the story…please help me; I have NO knowledge of what rumrunners do…

The rumrunners anchored their tiny ship right on the coastline, where the waves had softly slapped Victoria and Jack the night before. Victoria angrily ran off to circle the island again. Jack had gone to meet the rumrunners.

Victoria felt awful. Her hair hung down in limp strings of salt. Her dress was damp and clung to her thin body. Her corset, which was maimed, was still wrapped around her body. She felt utter discomfort. The sun was beating her, absorbing into her clothes and making her sweat. The combined smell of drying sweat and evaporating salt water made Victoria smell horrible. 

She walked until she was well out of Jack and the rumrunners' sight. Dipping her toes into the sparkling clear water, she peeled off the dress and her frayed corset. Still in her slip, she waded into the water until she was up to her shoulders in the cool cove. The sand was squishing under her bare feet. Victoria stood there, letting the tiny waves slap her neck, refreshing her sweaty body. She figured out how to float on her back and let the water pick her up. For a long time, she lay there, thoughts inexistent in her mind. 

All of a sudden a small wave slapped her face. Water entered her nose and mouth, filling her throat with salt. She coughed and sputtered, sinking into the water.

"Help!" she gurgled, bubbles escaping her mouth. She grabbed the water frantically, trying to reach the top. Suddenly her feet found the sandy bottom again and she pushed off. Her face broke through the surface as she flailed her arms, flopping through the water until she got to the island again. She fell onto the beach and lay there. 

Victoria was exhausted. Her mouth felt like she had tasted a mouthful of sand. She walked weakly to where Jack and the rumrunners were. Jack stood there, drinking rum with them. 

"Ah, there's the girl. C'mhere, Victoria, sweet. We have rum now. We won't die here!" Jack yelled exuberantly, holding up a bottle of rum. Some flew out, dotting the sand. Victoria walked up to him. He stared.

"Watcha wearin', love?" he said, apparently amused. He was staring at her, she felt his kohl-lined eyes boring into her. She looked back at Jack, who was smiling broadly. The stomachache came back again.

"Now, love, if you would be so kind as to find your clothes and put them back on," Jack said, getting another bottle of rum. "Well, actually, it's not necessary to do that. Just come have some rum." He smiled, handing her a bottle.

"Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho!" he grinned, toasting. Victoria hesitated, then stepped forward.  She smiled, taking the bottle from him and sipping it delicately.

"Now that's no way to drink RUM!" Jack said, laughing. He tilted the bottle and emptied his into his mouth. Rum dribbled down his chin and onto his shirt. Looking down at in mock surprise, he smiled and said, "Ah well. Just don't drip on yerself!" he said, laughing and pulling his shirt off so it wouldn't be sticky. Victoria stared, a bit too long for comfort. Jack pretended not to notice her watching him flex his muscles. Soon, she joined in on the raucous fun and excitement that only rum can bring. She and Jack even sang a rendition of "Yo Ho A Pirate's Life For Me", dancing around the fire. Sometime during her second bottle, though, she spilled some rum on her dress. Jack grinned, staring at her.

"Better take it off, love," he said quietly, bringing his bottle to his lips.  

A/N: How's that? Better? Worse? Review me, I just love reviews! ^_^


	5. Swimming Lessons

A/N: WOW, I never got so many reviews in my life! And I've only written 4 chapters!! I feel speshul:

Sparrow MoNkEy: Thank you for the idea. I'm probably going to use the rumrunner's ship scene-thingy. But the second idea is a good idea, too. I have to see how I can get BOTH of them into the story…

Piratelf: LOL! No, she wasn't bare naked in front of Jack, that will come later *wink, wink* She's in the slip/underdress that Elizabeth wore almost throughout the whole movie.

Labrat47: FIVE CHAPTERS!!! FIVE?! Ok….fine…you're right, I AM going to write much faster now…

          After Jack's comment, Victoria felt a bit uncomfortable. She ended up running to the other side of the island, spending most of the night trying to build a fire. She had brought with her a bottle of rum to feed the crackling flames. Victoria stared at it for a while, fantasizing about maybe not exactly hating Jack. The fire grew larger and suddenly shrunk into a tiny spark. Frustrated, she started to splash the whole bottle onto it. Suddenly, a shadow loomed over her.

          "Buildin' a fire, I see," Jack Sparrow said, chuckling. He squat down beside her. 

          "What are you laughing about?" Victoria demanded. 

          "Here." Jack gently took the bottle from her and bent over the fire. When he drew back from the once pitiful flame, it had grown to a bonfire.

          "Waste not," he said, opening the bottle and taking a swig.  "Where have you been, anyways?" he said, smacking his lips from the sweet rum. "The White Opal is going to set sail tomorrow morning. We should celebrate, y'know. Where did you go? There's a lot more rum than you think." He beamed, taking another gulp of rum. Victoria faked a yawn.

          "Maybe I should rest. I'm exhausted," she said, getting up, "besides, you don't want Crystal to see me next to you," she added quietly.

          "What's that ye said? Is that what this is all about? Crystal?" Jack said, groaning.

          "Yes, she's 'your girl', isn't she?" Victoria said, her voice rising. 

          "She's not-"

          "But you just want to think that, eh? You just can't live without women!" she yelled, standing up.

          "Actually, it's rum I can't live without," Jack said quietly "but even though, women can be pleasing to me," he said, immediately regretting it. Victoria's face grew red as the rum in Jack's bottle.

          "So that's the grand adventures of the infamous Jack Sparrow? Indulging yourself in rum and wooing women? Well, that's not my fancy, _Captain_." She turned on her heel and began to walk abruptly toward the water. Jack ran after her.

          "What exactly are you going to do, love?" he said, laughing nervously.

"I'm getting off this godforsaken island!" she said, plunging herself into the water. Instantly, Jack grabbed her and pulled her up. Coughing and sputtering, Victoria thrashed violently in his arms. He wouldn't let go of her. Seeing that, she stopped, slumping down against him.

"I can't let you do that, love," he whispered into her ear, "until you learn to swim. Lemme teach ye. The rumrunners are a bit-eh-busy-drinking. They wouldn't notice that we're missing. Cm'here." He took off his hat and waded into the water. Then he reached out and pulled her into the cool water. The stars in the sky twinkled teasingly from a distance. "Now, can you float?" In only an hour, he taught Victoria how to float and how to swim under water, before he grew thirsty for rum. "Sorry, love, rum calls," he said, getting out of the water and scampering to the rumrunner's party. Victoria crawled out of the water moments later and decided to go back to the celebrating. The men were laughing heartily to a story Jack seemed to be telling.

"…and she can't even swim!" she heard Jack yell. The rumrunners roared with laughter. "I feel like I'm her father, constantly checking on her to see if she's drowning!" Angrily, Victoria stepped from behind the tree.

          "So, Jack, I'm just your big joke? Your village idiot? Your helpless damsel in distress?" she said heatedly, stomping over to him. He squinted at her, as if he couldn't see her.

          "Well, I _can_ swim! And I can do it _without you_!" she screamed, her throat turning raw. She turned to the rowboat anchored off the shore. The ship was anchored one hundred yards away. Victoria pointed to the ship.

          "I'm going to swim out to the ship _and_  I'll swim back. Backwards," she said, stepping into the water. Once she was in deep enough, she kicked her feet like Jack had taught her. Each time she looked at his confused face, her feet kicked more furiously. She kept kicking until she was halfway there. But when she looked back for his face, Victoria couldn't see it anymore. He was nothing but a speck. And though she hated him, the sight of him was always comforting when she swam. And now it was gone, along with her swimming skills. Her feet frantically tried to find the bottom, but Victoria instead plunged down under the water. But now Jack wasn't there to save her. She sank quickly to the bottom, catching her arm on the chain of the anchor.

A/N: HAhAHAHA! Bloody cliffies! I love them! Only in my stories, though ^_^

Ok, reviews please, cough 'em up!


	6. Drowned Again

A/N: Sorry if the story is moving slowly, that's how I see it, but anyways. And how do I address Jack? Do I say "Sparrow", "Captain", or just leave it at "Jack"? What say you? Okay, on to the story. And btw, I might change the points of view in this chapter, just for some variety.

          Blood was clouding Victoria's vision. An acute pain was plunging into her arm. She didn't want to feel it, but it would be bliss to lose conscience. So she did. 

           Back at the beach, Sparrow stood with his bottle of rum, watching the surface.

          "I can't see the lass. Can you?" he said to the other men. They shook their heads. "Just wait a bit longer, you don't want to upset the lass if you go after her," one of the men said, dropping his empty bottle and taking another one. For ten minutes longer, they stood in silence, waiting to hear the triumphant "HA!" from Victoria. 

 "All right, I'm going after her. It's been too long." He put his bottle of rum down on the sand and stepped into the water tentatively. "Don't drink that, I'm coming back for it," he said, pointing at the half empty bottle. He held his breath and plunged in. Once he was under, he opened his eyes. Though it was dark, the silvery moon was reflecting light into the water. He had a clear view of everything. Fish darted around him as he searched for Victoria. Jack kicked back to the surface to breathe and returned to his search. Adjusting to the blurry view of being beneath the waves, his burning eyes scanned the sandy floor. Suddenly, he noticed a dark lump a few yards ahead of him, suspended in the water. He nervously swam to it and touched it. It was soft. Silky brown hair floated around it, mingled with blood. He realized that it was Victoria, unconscious. He locked his arms around her middle and he started pulling her up. She was limp, making it difficult for him to lift her. His lungs were about to collapse as he struggled to pull her to the surface. Quickly he dropped her, letting her body dangle, lingering near the chain from the ship. He made his way to the surface and took another gratifying breath before going back down.  His arms locked around her and he used all his strength to pull her up. But he felt a snag when he pulled. More blood escaped Victoria's arm as he finally noticed the rusty chain of the anchor sliced into it.

          "Come on!" he said, bubbles escaping his mouth. Her dress and her blood floated around him, tangling in his belt and shirt. Jack quickly ripped off Victoria's dress and gently pulled the chain out of Victoria's arm. Then he heaved her onto his back as he paddled to the surface awkwardly. His head surfaced, Victoria still lying unconsciously on his back. He swam back to the shore, where the rumrunners waited anxiously. Jack pulled Victoria and laid her on her back. Her eyes were still closed.

          "Victoria, wake up, love," he said, taking his shirt, which had been laying in the sand and wrapping her arm. She was bleeding profusely. Jack shook her hard. Suddenly, she awoke, coughing up water.

          "What the bloody 'ell did you think you were doing?" he groaned, relieved. She looked up at him, breathing heavily.

"Thank-thank you," she sputtered. Victoria shivered, looking down and noticing that now her dress was out in the water and she was in a loose slip that became see-through when wet. She crossed her arms and eased herself up, limping back to the other side of the island. Jack watched her carefully until she was nothing but a small bleeding dot, shrinking into the distance.

          The next morning, the weather looked very bleak. Victoria was asleep in a pile, covered by her dress and Jack's shirt.

          "Wake up, love. We're setting sail today," a voice said. Victoria moaned as she turned on her side. It was sore from last night. Jack chuckled, picking her up and standing her up. 

          "Here," he said, handing her a full bottle of rum, "this ought to stop the pain, love. Now we best be going, 'fore the rumrunners leave us."  She wobbled for a moment then followed him, carrying the clothes. A man assisted Victoria into a rowboat, Jack getting into another one. They rowed out to the ship where Victoria had tried to swim the previous night. She boarded, as they showed her to her room, which she was sharing with Jack. She stared uncomfortably at Jack, who was looking at the bed with a sense of wonder. 

          "It's alright, milady. I'll sleep on the floor. I'm gentleman enough," he said, quickly noticing her expression. He sat on the floor to show her. Victoria nodded tiredly, tumbling onto the bed. Jack remained for an hour, sitting on the floor until all he could hear was her rythymic breathing that told him she had fallen asleep.

A/N: Like it? Hate it? Tell me what you think of the change. Make sure to tell me if it's AU, though. But please, NO FLAMES! That's why I delayed in writing this, because I was trying to get over a piece of criticism that I maybe took too sensitively. Nonetheless, it made me really edit this chapter, so let me know if it's any better. How? Click on that "GO" button next to Submit Review, and type away, me 'earties, yo, ho!  ^_~


	7. Dead Drunk

Victoria wrenched her eyes open, adjusting them to the dim lighting. They stung from fatigue. When her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she noticed a face with kohl-lined eyes staring into hers intently. She yelped in fear, jumping back.

"Calm down, love, it's jes' ol' Jack," Jack Sparrow said, stepping back. He was wearing another shirt. It was blue and looked new. The shirt didn't suit him at all.  He didn't seem too happy to be wearing it, either. 

Victoria started breathing heavily. Her lungs felt plugged up and her arm was feeling raw.

          "C'mere," he said, pulling her forward. He held a white cloth in his hands. She noticed that her arm was still wrapped with his shirt. He gently took it off her arm and held it up in disgust.

"Now it really IS a bloody shirt," he said, laughing at his own joke. He took the new cloth and wrapped it around her arm. When he finished, he gently squeezed it.

"Don't bleed no more, love, or I'll be wearing these bloody sailor shirts a lot more often. To be honest as a dishonest man, I would much rather wear my shirt covered in your blood. It would make me look fierce," he said thoughtfully. 

"You'd be positively the most fearsome pirate in the Spanish Main!" Victoria saluted, laughing. Jack looked at her, raising his eyebrows.

"Not just the Spanish Main, love, the entire ocean. The entire wo'ld. Wherever we want to go, we go, that's what a ship is, you know. It's not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails, that's what a ship needs. But what a ship is, what the Black Pearl really is, is freedom," he said. Then his face turned from an expression of excitement to contrition. Jack sighed. "And now my Pearl is free no longer." 

"Jack, I'm so sorry-" Victoria began, sitting up, but Jack stopped her.

"No. It's not your fault. Just remember one thing. When you become a pirate, never trust anyone. Not a single soul," he said softly. He sat in silence, brown furrowed, trying to think of an idea. Victoria could hear him muttering to himself. Soon, she grew curious.

"Jack?" she said timidly. He looked up, snapping out of his reverie. "Uh…what are you thinking?" 

"I got to get my Pearl back," he said, barely noticing her there. He walked out, leaving Victoria in the dark, confused.

Some hours later, he returned, carrying a plate of meat and bread. She sat up, staring at it in disgust.

"I'm not quite hungry," she said sheepishly.

"You have ta eat sometime, love. I can't just sit here and wait for ye to get better. The Code says that any man who falls behind is left behind. I'm bein' awful lenient to ye, dahling," Jack said. Victoria  noticed that he was back to his old self again. 

"Eat."

Sighing, Victoria sat up and took the plate. She began to eat like an animal, tearing off pieces of the bread with her teeth. Jack watched her, amused.

          "Never in my life did I see a lady as noble as yerself eat like that," he said thoughtfully.  "But then, I've never seen a noble lady trapped on an island with me, either. Or maybe they were noble before, but after being with me, they were noble no longer." He laughed to himself. " Eat the lot." Then he turned on his heel and left the room, leaving Victoria to eat the cold food alone. Moments later, she succumbed to fatigue, letting the plate of food fall to the floor with a clatter.

          When she awoke again, sunlight streamed through the windows, cracking her eyes open. She kicked her feet over the side of the bed and pulled her dress on, which had dried. Then she climbed the stairs, going to the stern of the ship.

          Jack was standing at the wheel, peering through a monocular. A very disgruntled looking man stood beside him.

          "What's going on?" Victoria said.

          "Sparrow is taking over, as usual," the man said sullenly.

          "_Captain _Sparrow! And I'm _not_ taking over, Jacoby! I was just helping you, you were off course," he protested, snapping the monocular shut. He backed away from the wheel.

          "By all means, steer the bloody ship! No skin off me back!" he cried, shoving the monocular at Jacoby. He stood there, waiting for Jacoby to steer. Jacoby quietly stepped forward, steering the ship. While Jack stood, scrutinizing Jacoby, muttering curses under his breath in irritation, Victoria studied Jacoby. He was fairly good-looking. He had tanned skin and tired brown eyes framed by damp black hair. He noticed that she was staring at him, because he said,

          "Can I help you, miss?" he said. Victoria came to with a start.

          "Uhmm…I was just admiring your…." Victoria searched around in her mind for an excuse. "…ship." 

          "Oh!" he said, stepping back. "Would you like to try steering it?" She smiled and accepted. 

"If you need any help, Jack surely knows his way around a lass-eh- I meant, ship," Jacoby said quickly, leaving. Jack scowled after him.

"Well, go ahead and try a hand at being a pirate," he said, smiling finally. Gently, she placed her hands on the wheel, afraid to break it. Jack's hands appeared over hers, guiding her way around the wheel. They stood there for almost an hour like that. Victoria grew tired as the clouds wrapped around the sun, hiding it. Her eyes leisurely dropped lower and lower. For once, she wasn't seasick from the rocking of the ship. Jack was so close to her, she could feel his heartbeat against her back. Slowly, she leaned into his chest, falling asleep standing up. All of a sudden, Jack lifted her up and heaved her over his shoulder. 

          "Jack!" she shouted, waking up. Victoria was facing the wooden floor of the ship. She was dangling over his shoulder.

          "Ah, I knew you'd wake up if I did that," Jack said, laughing. She screamed, laughing wildly until he put her down.

          "C'mon, I'm gonna get you to bed, love. You fell asleep standing up!" he said, pulling her along. When they got to the room, he pulled out her slip. 

          "It's going to be hot tonight. Better sleep in this," Jack said, handing it to her. She raised her eyebrows at him suspiciously.

          "You **are** going to sleep on the floor tonight, right?" she said, holding the slip to her chest. Jack grinned slyly.

          "O' course I'm not, love! I got something better!"  he said exuberantly. Victoria's eyes widened.

          "What exactly are you thinking of?" she said, hugging herself. 

          "Put on that dress thing, and follow ol' Jack outside," he said, leaving and shutting the door behind him. Once in the privacy of the room, Victoria shed her dress and slipped on the other one. She smoothed the wrinkles from it and tucked her flyaway strands of hair into her bun. Checking to see if there was anything in her teeth, she left, following Jack outside. Victoria found him lying on the deck, looking up.

          "Extraordinary view, this is!" Jack hollered, patting a spot on the floor beside him.

          "Come see, it's the Black Pearl in the sky!" Victoria excitedly lay down on the wooden floorboards next to him. She stared up at the magnificent view, admiring the winking stars that formed the shape of the Black Pearl.

          "And look," Jack said, reaching somewhere on his other side, "I brought rum!" He gave a bottle to Victoria, as they drank merrily in the sparkling moonlight, softly singing pirate songs to fill the quiet air. Soon, they both fell asleep, dead drunk.

A/N: Note that I said dead **drunk**, not **dead**!

Ok, reviews would do me some good, thank ye very much! ** I LOVE JACK SPARROW! **Had to get that out of my system, ahem…at least 2ce a day…


	8. Tortuga

A/N: Sorry for taking so long on this chapter, stupid writers block *kicks at a brick*

Ok, just to let y'all know, I reposted some of the screwed up chapters in this story, with the help of my editor person Suzanne J Anyways, here we go with the next chapter…Lemme just say that I reposted ALL OF MY CHAPTERS, so go ahead and read them again, they've been changed. And if anyone actually reads these A/Ns, please type in "DRINK UP, ME 'EARTIES, YO HO"  in your review so I know whether or not I should write anything especially important  here…

Disclaimer: ACK! I've been forgetting! Ok, I don't own anything/anyone except for Victoria and a few people that weren't in the movie. You know the deal. Don't sue me, I got no money anyways. Savvy? (I don't own that word, either)

          Victoria awoke on the deck the next morning. Jack was laying facedown beside her, still asleep. Hesitantly, she leaned over and poked him. He woke with a start.

          "I'm not a eunuch," he said stupidly in his sleep, flipping over. Victoria laughed and poked him again.

          "Jack," she whispered into his ear, "wake up." His eyes fluttered open. He squinted up at Victoria, and frowned.

          "Where am I?" he said tiredly. She held out her hand and he took it as she attempted to lift him up. He smacked his lips, his eyes landing on the two empty rum bottles from the previous night.

          "One good thing about traveling with rumrunners," he said as he stood, rubbing his eyes and yawning, "is that they never run out of rum. Now if you'll excuse me, love," he grunted, "I got me some rum to drink." He swaggered down to the galley, until he was out of sight. Victoria remained on the deck, bathing in the sunlight, until Jack came back up with two bottles of rum.

          "Here you go, love," he beamed, handing her a bottle. "Nothing like rum t'wake ye up in the early morning. I heard that we're nearing Tortuga. We'll be there t'night, savvy?" he said, opening the bottle and taking a swig. "Drink up, love."

          "T-t-tortuga?" Victoria said tentatively.

          "Ah, so ye've never heard of Tortuga," he said proudly. "Well, then, it'll be a sweet surprise fer ye, love."  He leaned on the side, looking down at the water.

          "Come and see this," he said, gesturing for her to come. She got up from her seat on the floor and came next to him. Victoria looked down and noticed two pale gray dolphins racing the ship vigourously. 

          "That's a good omen," Jack said cheerfully, "when dolphins meet you at sea, ye get good luck." Victoria saw the lively action of the dolphins and couldn't possibly think that it wasn't true.

          "I feel lucky," she said flirtingly. Jack turned to look at her, a question in his eyes.

          "And why is that, love?" he said, smirking. She shrugged mockingly and continued staring at the playful animals. 

          Victoria stood there the whole day, and no one objected, mostly because she was a woman. Occasionally, Jack would pass by and she would look at him flirtingly. He would be completely oblivious to it, though, and continue working.

          Hours later, when the sun had begun going down and the dolphins had left, they docked at Tortuga. The rumrunners let them off the ship as they themselves continued sailing, off for some more bootlegging. 

          "Easy there, love," Jack said, helping Victoria off the ship as she stumbled. He caught her in his arms and they continued down to the streets of Tortuga.

          "This is…eh….interesting," she said, watching two whores being chased by drunken men, giggling loudly.

          "It is indeed a sad life for those who have never breathed the sweet carniferous bouquet that is Tortuga, savvy?" Jack said, leading her towards a pub. "What do you think?" he said, stopping in front of a woman dumping the contents of a chamber pot onto a man.

          "It'll linger," Victoria said, wrinkling her nose. They stopped at a pub, called The Faithful Bride. A statue of a woman stood out front of it, wearing irons on her stone wrists.

          Victoria smelled a strong smell of rum and candle wax as she walked in. There were raucous fights all over the place accompanied with the sounds of men yellilng and women squealing drunkenly. Jack led her to the bar table, where a barkeeper was leaning. He had a tankard of rum, and he was sloppily drinking it. There was rum dribbling down his chin. His eyes were narrowed at a woman, who was flirting giddily with him. 

          Jack plopped himself down onto a stool, Victoria sitting carefully beside him. She warily eyed a bulky man who took a seat beside her.

          "Well, if it ain't Jack Sparrow. S'been a long time. So what'll it be?" the bartender said, leaning forward. 

          "Two rums, please. And it's _Captain _Jack Sparrow." Soon the rum was set in front of them. Jack took his quickly and began slurping his greedily. Victoria's mouth dropped open as she took a sip from hers.

          "C'mon, love! That's not how a pirate drinks it! Drink up, love!" Jack exclaimed, swinging his tankard. Rum went all over Victoria's hair. "Uh oh," Jack said, smiling nervously. Victoria looked up at the rum dripping down her face. She sat in stone silence for a minute, then a giggle escaped her mouth. Soon, it grew to heaving laughter as she lifted her rum and swilled it into her mouth. 

          "See, having fun now love?" Jack said, laughing. Victoria nodded.

          Suddenly, a finger traced down her spine. She shivered and turned around. Her sight was blurred and her head was feeling light. The candles made her feel extremely uncomfortable. She crossed her eyes, trying to focus on who had touched her back. It was the big bulky man. 

          "C'mon, lass. Let's have some fun," he said, pulling her. She resisted. 

          "Uh…" she slurred. Though she was drunk, she knew that this man was danger. He yanked her close.

          "I said let's go. Now." His arm clamped around her thin wrists as she barely resisted. Instead, she was weakly calling, 

          "Jack! I don't think I'm having fun anymore!"

A/N: Help me! I need ideas for the next chapter! So click on that review button and get me some ideas! I promise, I'll acknowledge you for ed ideas for the next chapter! So click on that review button and get me some ideas! I promise, I'll acknowledge you for your brilliance!


	9. The Worst Thing

A/N: Just to let you know, I've reposted ALL of my chapters as of February 10, 2004! Bwahaha! So go and read those, svp ^_^ and please review me, that makes me happy *sigh * And I just want to know: does anyone actually read these A/Ns? If you do, write "REALLY BAD EGGS" in your review, so I'll know whether or not to write anything up here anymore.

The portly man's fat fingers were clamped around Victoria's thin wrists. She called weakly for Jack as he dragged her out of the pub. Out in the silvery moonlight, he pulled the laces of her dress until the dress was dangling off of her shoulders.

"Stop," she yelled, trying to slip out of his strong grip, but it only resulted in him slapping her across the face. He then proceeded to put her through the most embarrassment and humiliation a woman could go through.

%%Jack's POV%%

His view was a bit hazy by the time he was on his fifth drink. So he decided instead to get Victoria a second drink. The barkeep came with the rum, and handed it over to Jack, who looked as though he would topple over at any moment. Jack turned to Victoria's stool to present her with her second rum of the night, when he realized that she was gone. At this point, he knew that it wasn't his drunken vision failing him.

"Victoria, love?" he called, his eyes scanning the pub as he tried to locate a girl who wasn't flirting with an intoxicated man. He looked back to the spot beside him to clarify that it wasn't his vision failing him. Again, he saw the empty stool, but also realized that the stool next to it was empty as well. The same place where the bulky man sat. Jack put two and two together..

"_Victoria_!" he shouted, making the tavern go quiet. He squinted, the search becoming easier now that people weren't moving about. Suddenly, he heard a tiny voice calling, "Help! " Quickly, he jumped out of his seat and pulled out his pistol, running for the exit as the raucous shouting and flirting recommenced. Jack burst outside in time to see the stout man standing over Victoria, holding a blade to her throat.

A/N: Sorry it's so short, but I plan to write a bunch of chapters this Presidents' Day Weekend, so it won't be for long! And NO FLAMES, PLEASE! But do tell me if this sucks- nicely.


	10. All Men Are Seascum

A/N: NO FLAMES, PLEASE! Sorry, but I feel like these chapters would get flames.I take criticism very VERY sensitively. If you've seen this chapter before I reposted it, please don't be mad that I took out..eh…something. *dodges spears* 

%%Jack's POV%%%

            He couldn't believe what was happening. Right there, in front of his eyes, an attempted murder was going on. And it was with someone he knew.

"Come any closer," said the man threateaningly, "and I'll cut her throat." Victoria whimpered, her eyes clenched shut in fear. Jack's thoughts were running a 10K marathon as he pondered on what to do.

_Damn it, if I mov,e he'll kill the lass. If I don't move, he'll kill the lass. _ He nervously fingered the edge of his pistol, which was concealed beneath his coat. 

"I suggest you step away from the lass, mate," Jack said in what he hoped was in a calm voice. 

"And why should I do that?" The man said, smirking at him.

"Because…" Jack shuffled through his mind, trying to think of something, "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow. Surely you know who I am? Now I'll give you one more chance," Jack said, coming closer. The man smirked again, and judging by Victoria's face, he pushed his blade tighter to her throat. There was no more time to think. Jack whipped the pistol out and pulled the trigger.

%%Victoria's POV%%

Victoria was horrified. Cold metal was touching her neck, and though her eyes were squeezed shut, she knew it was a knife. Her life was about to come to an end on the streets of Tortuga. Someone else suddenly came out and words were exchanged. But for fear, she couldn't listen to anything. A gunshot soon sounded, as the man standing over her dropped dead.

 Victoria opened her eyes, immediately flipping over and trying to pull her clothes back on, as she attempted to hold back tears. She didn't notice another man standing over her. Instantly, she began to sob uncontrollably in fear, wheezing over and over again. 

"Please don't hurt me," she heaved, tears exploding from her eyes. Victoria looked up to realize that the man standing over her had kohl-lined eyes, dreds wrapped into a red bandana, and a drunken expression. She quickly pulled her slip over her chest, crawling backwards to get away from him.

"Calm down, love, that filthy, slimy, mangy, cur is gone. It's just you and me now. Ol' Jack won't hurt you," Jack said, coming near her. When he touched her wrist, she stopped shaking with fear.

"There's an inn nearby we can rest at," Jack said. "I'll sleep in another room," he added, helping Victoria up. She kept her arms crossed fearfully, limping beside him. She had many cuts and bruises on her body, and she shivered constantly.

"No," she said finally, "I want you with me." There was a shooting pain in her left leg, and it throbbed with each step she took. Suddenly, it gave way as she crumpled to the ground, still clutching her dresses. 

            _I've never done this to any woman,_ Jack thought inwardly.

"C'mon, love. You've been through an awful amount today," he said to her. With that, he bent over and lifted her up, walking with her in his arms all the way to a nearby inn, called The Stone Maiden.

Once they got their room, Jack got a woman to help bathe and dress Victoria. She emerged from the wash room, dressed in a white nightgown. As soon as the woman left, she sat onto the soft bed, trying to comb her tangled hair. Jack watched as she struggled with the wooden comb, attacking her locks. After a while, Victoria realized that he was looking at her.

            "What is it," she said in a dry voice. Jack shrugged, shaking his head. "Men," Victoria muttered to herself, turning back around.

            "That's not very fair, love," Jack said from his spot at the window sill. His hat was tipped over his face, making him look dangerous. "Just because that man did that to you don't mean that every man is going to do that to you."

            "This coming from a man who does that all the time!" Victoria spat. "Just because I'm not a pirate doesn't mean I don't know the stories about you! You can have any tavern wench you set your eyes on!" 

            Jack opened and closed his mouth soundlessly, unable to speak.

            "Just what I thought," Victoria said bitterly, "all men are sea scum."

A/N: Told ya I'd update! Reviews, please! Teehee! ^_~


	11. Meet The Smiths and Crystal

            Victoria awoke the next morning to find that Jack wasn't there. Sunlight streamed into the room, as she got out of the bed.

            "Jack Sparrow?" said the woman at the front when she asked about him. "The only people lodging here last night was you and your husband, Mr. Smith," she added, flipping through some papers.

             "I saw your husband leave this morning, saying something about a crystal. No Jack Sparrow, though."  

            "My husband?" Victoria said, blinking in astonishment. The woman chuckled, still absentmindedly searching through some papers.

            "If Captain Jack Sparrow lodged here, we'd have the British Navy storming into my inn! Well, Mr. Smith _did_ say something about your ramblings about Jack Sparrow. He's a pirate, you know. Probably hundreds of pirates trudge through Tortuga each day. But the amount of shillings they would reward for Sparrow is sky-high. It's no wonder you're so excited about him," she sighed, ducking under the table to retrieve a quill.

            "He said something about a crystal?" Victoria said, finally catching on to Jack's tricks.

            "Yes, he said that a crystal could be found in some tavern…" Victoria didn't stay to listen to the rest.

            _CRYSTAL!_ _His 'girl'! Oh, I would love to meet her!_ She thought bitterly, marching back to her room. She found Jack's coat, wrinkled and messy at the foot of the bed. Pulling it on, she drew her hair into a tight bun. Using the kohl she found in Jack's coat pocket, she quickly colored in a moustache and thickened her eyebrows. Victoria came back to the front, about to leave when the woman popped up again.

            "Excuse me, sir, but have you paid for you lodging?" she said to Victoria.

            "Uh…" Victoria cleared her throat, trying to make it deeper, "…yes, I have. And now I'll be going. Because I'm a man, and…and men are nothing but seascum. Now I shall go and find a woman, or two," she rambled, backing towards the door and stepping out.

            Victoria breathed in the crisp morning air as she made her way back to the pub. There was no chance that any man would go for her in this state, she thought confidently as she walked in. Scanning over the heads of the crowd, Victoria immediately found Jack sitting at a stool, with three women in his lap. She smiled pleasantly, plopping down beside him.

            "Why, 'ello, mate," she said in a gruff voice. Jack looked up, apparently surprised at being addressed by a man.

            "Uh, yes, hello…" he said, raising an eyebrow. His eyes landed on the coat.

            "Hey, I have that same coat, mate. Very good coat-" Jack was cut off by another woman coming and making a seat in his lap. Victoria immediately averted her eyes, looking in another direction, when suddenly, a woman came, her dress ripped in many places. She had a teasing glint in her eyes.

            "Hello, stranger," she said, batting her eyelashes. Victoria's eyes widened, her mouth dropping open. _Do I look that much like a man?_ she thought.  The woman leaned against her shoulders, twirling a stray piece of fabric. Victoria looked to Jack for help, noticing that he was yelling under a pile of girls, "WHOA! Easy on the goods, please!" Her brow furrowed as she said in her deepest voice, "Well come on over here…uh…lass. Because I'm a man. Not a woman." The woman obliged immediately, falling onto her lap. Victoria almost dropped her, trying to conceal her fair and immaculate hands.

            "My name is Crystal," the woman said flirtatiously, pulling at her blonde locks. Victoria almost dropped her again.

            "You!" she screamed, nearly revealing herself.

            "'You' what?" Crystal giggled, wrapping her arms around Victoria. Victoria remained as stiff as a board, holding her breath.

            "You…are beautiful," she said. "Who's that?" she asked, jerking her head towards Jack.

            "Oh that's Mr. Smith. He's…a friend," Crystal said absentmindedly. 

            "Mr. Smith, is it?" Victoria growled. Jack's head popped up from beneath the pile of giggly girls.

            "Aye?"

            "I'm Mr. Reming. A friend of your _wife's_." Jack was still oblivious. Just then, Crystal, spotting new prey, jumped out of Victoria's lap, going to another man. The other women in Jack's lap followed suit.

            "Thanks very much, mate," Jack said, putting his hands in  a prayer-like gesture.  Victoria noticed that he still didn't know it was her.

            "I love b-uh, girls. But the one I love the most is my…my fiancé. Her name was Victoria. She drowned while traveling on my ship. I never saw her again." Jack's eyes lit up.

            "I know someone named Victoria! But she's alive. And she almost died-last night…" he said, more to himself than to "Mr. Reming". He suddenly got up, leaving his almost full tankard of rum on the bar table. 

A/N: Tell me, what should I do next? How do you do that? Well, you click on that little button that says, Submit Review. So submit, submit, submit! Woohoo! I'm almost hitting the big 5-0! *crowd cheers *


	12. Jack's Musings

A/N: Is it possible?? Have I done it????? I've hit the big 5-0! *Gasp * Amazing! *is all teary-eyed * I'd like to thank my wonderful reviewers, and Johnny Depp for playing Jack Sparrow, who is, in fact, my lust object. Now, on to the next chapter! WooHOO! I write this chapter with the (much appreciated) help of labrat47, aka Suzanne. Thank you, dahling! 

          Victoria stared, wide-eyed, as Jack suddenly bolted out of the tavern.

          "What was that about?" she thought, staring after him. She suddenly realized that she was wearing his clothes, and that he was going back to the inn. Any minute he'd walk in and realize that she, and his coat, was gone. She stumbled out, brushing off a few wenches who accosted her on the way to the door.

          Once stepping outside into the sunshine again, she sprinted down the road, hoping to beat Jack to the room. Stopping at a well, she pulled up some water and cleaned herself up, rubbing the kohl off her eyes and taking her hair down. Arriving at the inn, she darted past the lady at the front, ignoring her yells of "Wait! You need to pay!" Bursting into the room, she found Jack already there, searching the room frantically. Victoria leaned against the doorway, hoping that he hadn't seen her. But, standing up from looking under the bed, she realized that he had.

          "Where the bloody hell have you been-" Jack began, but stopped short when he noticed her wearing his coat. Her hair was damp from the well water, as it hung past her shoulders. The coat was dotted with wet spots. She stood there, with her mouth gaping wide.

          "Uh…" she said nervously, taking off the coat and balling it up nervously. He looked at her, puzzled. Victoria could barely hear his almost inaudible mutters of "Mr. Reming…" Suddenly, comprehension dawned on his face. 

          "You…you're…" he said, pointing at her. She nodded, a wave of anger rushing over her.

          "Gone to meet Crystal, you womanizing bastard?" she cried, throwing the jacket at him. He flinched, not saying a word.

          "Eh…calm down, love, please?" he pleaded, shoving the coat behind him onto the bed.

          "Well…I went to The Faithful Bride to…uh, end it with her. She thought that it would work out between us forever," Jack said nervously, shielding his face from a potential slap.

          Victoria made to slap him, but his last words halted her. She stopped in mid-slap, her mouth gaping wide.

          "You-you…what?

          "Nothing lasts forever when you're with me, love," Jack said, grinning. His hand was still up, protecting his face.  Though Victoria was mad at him, a horrible weight settled in her stomach. She felt as though she was going to have a heart attack. Her bottom lip quivered. 

          _Wait! Why am I so upset about this? I already knew how Jack was with women! I should have known this! And I don't even like him! Or do I?_

          "Well, don't you find it funny that every time you go to a pub, I get attacked? What if that happened again, eh? I bet you'd never forgive yourself. No, wait, I'm sorry this is CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow we're talking about. You never care about anyone. And if you do, it's never long-term," she snapped, crossing her arms. 

          _But I do care_, Jack thought. _What was that! Did I just say that I care? _

Suddenly, Jack's face turned from a confused look to a concerned look.

          "I'm sorry for leaving you alone, love. I should have been here to make sure you were alright."

          "I don't need your help," Victoria said, storming out, leaving Jack alone in the room.

          %%Jack's POV%%

          Jack sat on the bed, kneading his forehead with his knuckles.

          "Bloody 'ell, I'll never win with her," he said to himself. Suddenly, a couple came in.

          "Excuse me, but you are not allowed in here. This is OUR room," the woman said, pointing him to the door. Jack quickly left, passing the woman at the front.

          "Why, hello Mr. Smith. I trust your wife is doing well?" she said cheerfully from her desk, doing needlework. Jack cringed as he slowly turned around. She gestured to an empty chair beside her. He reluctantly sat.

          "Actually I don't think so. She left. A while back." The woman gasped, dropping her embroidery.

          "Don't let her get away. You don't want some man to get her again, do you? A woman is a very precious thing," she said matter-of-factly, picking up her needle. Jack snorted, slumping in his seat. 

          "How would you know," he muttered.

          "Excuse me, but I had a husband as well. A while before we got married, we had a tiny fight. It seemed big then, but it's nothing now. I left him, heading to The Faithful Bride.  I was defenseless, and it took him an hour to realize that if I was gone, he'd be shattered, just like I would be with him. Even though I pretended that I didn't like him. That was a special night, it was," she said serenely, picking at a knot in her thread.  "He proposed to me that night." The woman sighed, dropping her needle on the floor. "I miss him dearly. I wish that I had spent more time with him before he died." She inhaled deeply, swallowing back tears. Jack was sure that she didn't even notice he was there. So, very quietly, he edged out of the inn. 

          As he stepped out into the moonlight, a thought struck him.

          _Victoria is gone. She's out there, with no one to save her from a mangy dog like that man. What if-_    In his mind, he pictured a dead carcass lying in the middle of the street, surrounded by blood. He heard voices pounding in his ears.

          _She's dead! Dead_! Screaming in his ears. Jack covered his ears in a panicky motion.

          "Bloody voices! I get it! I'll go find her!" he yelled, making people on the streets stare at him. And with that, he strode off, searching wildly for the girl he loved-_Wait! LOVE? I do NOT love her! _ Jack thought frantically, his brows furrowed in frustration. _She's a temperamental, impulsive, spoiled little wench! h_e thought furiously._ But she is a fiery little strumpet, you have to give 'er that. _As he turned the corner to the Faithful Bride, he imagined once again the rotting carcass of the girl he loved-no, liked. _Yes, I definitely like her. How could I not? She's a smart lil' lass, independent-nothing could break her spirit, helpful in a tight spot,_ Jack mused, sauntering down the street. _And amusing, even if she didn't mean to be. She's such a sweet lass too, a man could really learn to talk to the girl. Not to mention absolutely beautiful…_He stopped in front a couple making out, and caught himself wishing that it were him and Victoria. 

          _All, right, bloody 'ell, I'll admit it. I love her,_ he thought, throwing his hands up in defeat. _But only a little.._


	13. Things That Lads Don't Have

A/N: Terribly sorry for keeping you waiting. I had strep throat and Mother dearest was convinced that it was because of me spending so much time in front of the computer. TWO hours a day is a lot to her. So, now that my throat doesn't feel like a knife coated in poison isn't cutting through it, I can write again without dying of throat pain! ^_^ 

          Victoria stomped angrily down the dusty road, hoping that she didn't look as frightened as she truly was. She passed the Faithful Bride again, walking rapidly past it, for fear of the men that lingered there. Finally, she reached the docks, where two ships were anchored. For a while, Victoria stood there, her heart aching for her parents- even for Thomas. Finally, she made her resolution. Pulling a loose rope that was hanging on the side of one of the ships, she heaved herself up into the ship, flopping onto the deck. Panting heavily, she nearly fell asleep, when suddenly; a shadow darker than the sky covered her face. Victoria nervously looked up to see a man, wearing a bandana over his messed up hair. A cigar was resting in his mouth.

          "Why hello, young lad. Stowaway, I see. Well, if you're intending to ride on my ship without doing any work, that's where you're wrong, boy. Get up," he snarled, pulling Victoria's ear. She got to her feet.

          "I'm terribly sorry sir, but I just wanted to rest. I'll get off," she said quietly, regretting it immediately.

          "You're a bit young, boy. Voice ain't even sprouted, eh?" he chuckled heartily, making ashes from the cigar fall. Victoria smiled and nodded nervously.

          "Yes, that's exactly it, sir," she said, backing away from him. "And I think my mum would want me to go home to her now. She must be awfully worried 'bout me." He shook his head.

          "Boy, your mother lives here? In Tortuga? I bet you don't know who yer father is, eh?" he nudged her, laughing. "Same with me. My mother was a stupid wench who left me home alone every night. She had a pirate fetish. 'Course, when I took off and left to become a sailor, she didn't notice. Too busy engrossed in her daily dose of men." He took out a cutlass from his belt and started sharpening it, taking no heed of Victoria's horrified face.

          "So…this isn't a pirate ship?" she stuttered. He took one look at her and started laughing.

          "'Course it is! And all this, thanks to my strumpet of a mother!" he bowed as a gesture of welcome. "Welcome to the Storm Cloud, lad!" he growled, lighting another cigar and giving one to Victoria. She smiled nervously, taking the cigar and staring at it.

          "Eh…what do I do with this?" she said, grimacing at it. He roared with laughter.

          "Boy, have you never tried one of these?" he grumbled, snatching it and lighting it for her. She grinned at him uncertainly, taking it from him. After a few moments' hesitation, she stuck it into her mouth, sucking on it like a lollipop. Smoke filled her throat and lungs. Victoria gagged, trying to clear her airways. She dropped the cigar on the ground, nearly hacking up her lungs. The pirate advanced towards her, looking concerned. He cuffed her on the back as she coughed up a few ashes, laughing ferociously. 

          "Yes, I can tell you have never done that before," he said, trying to stifle his bursts of laughter. Victoria scowled at him, her throat burning and itching.

          "Don't worry 'bout it, son. You'll get the hang of it," he said, with a trace of a smile in his face. He pressed another cigar into her hand.

          "Uh…that's okay. I'll just take the rum," Victoria said, her throat still burning. 

          "If you don't want to sleep on the deck, you can sleep in the cook's sleeping quarters. We currently don't have a cook just yet," he said, going below deck. Victoria stood there for a moment, still clutching the cigar in her hand. Deciding that she could wait before seeing her father and Thomas again, she grabbed the rope and slid down, wincing slightly at the rope burn on her hands. Brushing the ashes off of Jack's shirt, she strolled back down the streets of Tortuga, grunting audibly to the men that walked there. None came near her. As she neared The Faithful Bride, a rough hand touched her shoulder. Victoria spun around, her fists meeting a face…Jack's.

          "Bloody 'ell, woman! I didn't deserve that!" he grumbled, rubbing his nose. She stared at him angrily.

          "So you're back here, at the wench house. Want me to help you find Crystal?" she retorted. 

          "No," Jack said, trying to keep his temper, "I came looking for you, love."

          "Well, I thought I told you that I didn't need your help. Or anyone else's for that matter," she snapped, attempting to walk past him. He reacted quickly, catching her in his arms and pulling her until she was against his chest. 

          "I can't let you leave until I know for a fact that you know how to defend yourself," he whispered into her ear. She glowered at him as he tried to grab her hands. He noticed the cigar.

          "What the bloody h-" he began, but he was cut off by a gruff voice. It was the sailor on whose boat Victoria snuck. He was running towards them, shaking his fist.

          "Hey! That's my apprentice sailor you're trying to kidnap!" he shouted. Jack stared blankly.

          "This?" he said, holding up Victoria, who was still hanging in his arms. The sailor nodded curtly. Jack shook his head.

          "No. You got it wrong, then. This girl loathes pirates. She wouldn't be your apprentice sailor."

          "Girl?" he said, shocked. "That's no girl, that's the lad who snuck onto my ship!"

          "You snuck onto a ship?" Jack said to the drooping figure in his arms. She nodded uncomfortably.

          "That's no girl!" the sailor said, refusing to believe it. Jack rolled his eyes, lifting Victoria to her feet.

          "Does this look like a whelp to you?" Jack said, pulling Victoria's shirt so that it was tight around her torso. The sailor stared at her, wide-eyed in amazement.

          "That definitely ain't nothing a lad would have," he said, still staring at Victoria chest.

          "JACK!" she screamed, as he grinned mischievously. As soon as the sailor walked away, still in wide-eyed amusement, she tore herself out of Jack's grip, crossing her arms over her chest.

          "What was that for!" she shouted at him, who was still smiling.

          "Dahling, you need to stay with me a bit longer, savvy?" He didn't wait for an answer as he picked her off her feet, walking back to the inn.

          "And what is it exactly that you're going to teach me?" she said.

          "Why, fencing, of course, love."

A/N: Reviews please!


	14. HELP!

Terribly sorry, mates, this isn't a chapter, but more of a plea for help…

I tried uploading this before, but I found out that putting a link to another website in your chapters is a no no and it. So, I am sorry for that.

First of all, I need help!!! I can't do everything at once!! I first wrote this, and it wasn't canonical enough. So I fixed it, but then Victoria became too Mary Sue-ish. And also, as someone said, Jack Sparrow is out of character. HELP!!!

Secondly, my next chapter is going to be a fencing lesson. My fencing lessons don't actually start until April, so until then, I have no idea how to make it good and non-cliché. Also, I need your opinion-when do you want them to actually fall in love?? Being a hopeless romantic myself, I, as you all have seen, can't control myself if my life depended on it. In fact, as soon as I started writing this, I already had the romantic part planned out, and of course, Jack is out of character. SO HeLP ME!!

I also want to know how much longer this should be before I reach the end. And to give you a fair warning, it might not be such a happy ending, but that's why I shall sequelize!! I will only write more, though, if you all help me! So, if you don't mind, click that lil' button in the corner and review me some help!!

And I'd also be much obliged if you would review my story on fictionpress, because I have to turn it in for a grade in my Creative Writing class.

http(colon)//www(dot)fictionpress(dot)com/~obsessedstalker

There, just replace the (dots) and (colons) with the actual symbols. My story is Opposites Attract. Thank you loves!! ^_~


	15. The Lesson

A/N: Thankies very much, dear friends for helping me write this next chapter, and thanks a bunch to Labrat47, who proofread my outline thingy for this chappie. Ok, now we must go on!!  And before I continue, let me remind you that I have never had a fencing lesson in my life!! So if this seems a bit…inaccurate, lemme know, savvy? And does anyone actually know what year the movie is supposed to take place? 

            Victoria followed as Jack led her to a secluded barn. Dust rose as he stomped inside, pulling out a sword from his belt. He tossed it to her, as she tried to catch it. It fell to the floor with a clatter. Victoria scowled as he chuckled at her helplessness. As she picked up the sword, he watched, waiting for her to do something intelligent. A second sword appeared from behind him as he stepped towards her.

            "Before we begin, let's see what you can actually do, love, savvy?" She gazed nervously at him as he lunged toward her with the sword. Panicked, she threw it at him, barely missing his face.

            "What the bloody hell was that?" he said, going over to pick up the sword. 

            "Well, what do you expect from me, Jack? I'm a well-brought up woman!" Jack snorted.

            "And I'm a well brought up man." She stared for a moment, before he said, annoyed, "I was being sarcastic, love." 

            "Oh!" 

            "Now, let me show you how to use this, and _don't throw it at me this time!_" For the next hour, she learned to parry with the sword, and she even managed to hack off part of Jack's coat, although she was pretty sure he had let her. After a few more pieces of his coat had floated to the ground, Victoria slumped to the ground from exhaustion. Jack towered over her, cocking his head.

            "What, are you tired already?" She nodded, panting heavily. He smiled triumphantly, extending his hand and pulling her to her feet. "I challenge you to a fencing match. And if you beat me, I shall take you out for some rum. If I beat you, you're going to take _me_ out for a spot of rum." He smirked at Victoria, who in return, scowled at him back. "Savvy?" She nodded slowly as she regained her breath and stood up straight, gripping the sword like he taught her to. 

            Without warning, Jack dove at her, his sword whizzing through the air. She met it with her own, blocking the hit. The game was on. The only sounds heard for the next hour was metal clanging against metal. Jack, of course, went on to cream Victoria, landing her in a tired heap on the dusty ground.

            "Now, now, love, you can't do that," he said, standing over her tired figure. "Rum calls." She still didn't move a muscle. Jack sighed heavily. "All right, fine, I'll treat you. Get up, you spoiled strumpet."

            The night air was filled with the sounds of gunshots and music. People ran around, chasing tavern wenches, as they giggled flirtatiously. Victoria was far used to this now, as she and Jack ambled down the street of Tortuga. Entering the Faithful Bride, Jack immediately ordered enough rum for the both of them, and many times over. Jack chugged down his drink, as Victoria sipped it contentedly. 

            Hours later, after a few more drinks were consumed, they both sauntered out of the pub drunkenly, making their way to the barn again. As they passed a large building littered with papers, Victoria stopped short, struck with surprise. Jack, who had been attached to her steadier arm, was jerked backward.

            "Whassa matter, love," he murmured tiredly, leaning drunkenly against an extrememly shocked Victoria. 

            "Th-th-tha-that-that's m-m-m-me," she whispered, stuttering. He wrenched his eyes open to look at the wall.

            "Damn." A piece of parchment was tacked up on the brick wall.Uncurling the ends, Victoria realized that it was a picture. She read the words inscripted on it.

            _Please bring our daughter back!_

_            Victoria Reming, age 19_

_            Daughter of Governor William Reming of Port Constantine_

_            Last seen on June 22 of this year, **(insert year here)**_

****_Ten thousand shillings for the return of our beloved daughter and fianc_

            Beneath it was a picture of Victoria herself, from exactly one year ago. She remembered. It was when she had first met Thomas and was told she was to marry him. As she studied her facial features in the picture, she noticed that she looked anything but happy.

            "Bloody hell, ten thousand shillings! You must be loved!" Jack half-slurred. Victoria nodded, tears springing to her eyes.

            "No," she whispered, pulling the parchement down, "I'm not."

A/N: You know what to do if you want more-click on that button below ^_^

And sorry about the shortness of the chapter, it looked long when I wrote it =/

Okay, let me know (nicely) if this is REALLY BAD EGGS, savvy? ^_~


	16. Commandeering

A/N: Sorry about neglecting this story L  I had  writer's block for a while. And I still do, but I'll give it a go about writing this, savvy?
    
                   The next day, Victoria awoke in the barn, still clutching the parchment in her hands. She could feel the dust rising around her, tickling her dirty skin and filling her nostrils. Slowly, she wrenched her tired eyes open. They didn't seem to want to let the light permeate her skin. Vision blurry, she blinked a few times to register her sight. A face loomed over her.
    
                   "Good morning, love! I hope you're feelin' better today…we've got a few errands ta run."  Not even attempting to guess what he could possibly be talking about, Victoria slowly got up to face him.
    
                   "What kind of errands?" she said, narrowing her eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, when suddenly, she flung the paper with her picture at him. "You mean this kind? Are you going to just hand me over to that…that…sorry excuse for a man, so you can just collect your reward money and be on your way? Is that it?" Jack grinned, cocking his head to the side.
    
                   "No, I wasn't plannin' on doin' that. Thanks for the idea, though, love." He winked at Victoria, who scowled back at him. An awkward moment of silence followed.
    
                   "You're not…really going to do that, are you?" she said softly, looking down. 

            "Now, how daft do ye think I am, exactly, eh? If I return you, they're not going to give me no money, savvy?" Jack said, sauntering around the room. "Besides, as much as they _adore_ ye, you're in the hands of Captain Jack Sparrow. I don't surrender that easily," he added quickly. "Now, let's go, we got some business to take care of."

*^*^*^*

            "Are you insane?" Victoria shouted hoarsely. They were safely concealed beneath the dock of Tortuga, with about a foot of air to breathe in.

            "Yes, I'm insane, Vicky sweet, I thought you already knew that," Jack said calmly. Victoria sighed heavily, kneading her forehead with her knuckles.

            "Just…explain it to me one more time." 

            "But of course, love." She noticed that Jack had a rather fixed smile on his face. He grabbed her shoulders and made him stare her in the eye. "Listen to me this time."

            "I'm listening!"

            And as he explained his plan to her again, Victoria found herself staring at him. Not looking like she already was, but more like watching his every movement. She knew that she had stopped listening ages ago, but she didn't care at the moment, and she didn't know why, either. He was so-

            "…savvy?" Oh how she adored that word. It tickled her funny bone. She loved it, probably for the man who said it.

            "Are you listening?" Jack said, his voice breaking through her concentration. 

            "Sorry. Again." 

            "You know what? Forget it. I'll commandeer the bloody ship by myself."

            "And how exactly are you going to do that?" Victoria said, feeling bad that she had been ignoring him. But she couldn't help it. Despite his arrogance, he was quite a good-looking fellow.

*^*^*^*

"Okay, just distract him. That's all you need to do, love."  The sunlight was blinding. Victoria squinted, her eyes navigating around the docks. Jack pointed into the distance, where a lone man was standing beside a gangplank. A ship was anchored nearby.

"How do I distract him?" Jack said nothing, until Victoria turned to look at him. She realized that he was grinning widely at her. To be more specific, he was grinning widely at her chest.

"Oh, Jack, please don't make me do that," she moaned, turning around. "Please?" Jack shrugged.

"Guess I'll never get my Pearl back again, will I? And it's all because you are…" Jack muttered something under his breath.

"Excuse me? Could you repeat that?" Victoria said, leaning closer to him. 

"You're p-"

"A bit louder please?"

"You're bloody prude, love!" Victoria emitted a gasp.

"I am _not_!" 

"You are!"

"Am not!"

"Are so!"

"I'm not even going to bother arguing with you, Jack Sparrow, because I know the truth!"

"So do I! You _are_ prude!"

"No I'm not!"

"Prove it then!" Jack bellowed. Pursing her lips, Victoria made her way across the dock to the man. Turning her head to make sure Jack was still there, Victoria undid her dress. The man watched, confused. Then she dropped it to the ground. For a whole minute he stared before she realized that Jack had run off.

"Jack, I'm going to kill you!" she shrieked, gathering her dress from around her ankles. 

"Great performance, love, I couldn't have done any better!" a voice yelled from above. Looking up, she noticed a figure on the ship. 

"You ass!" Laughing, she shoved the man to the side and galloped up the gangplank onto the ship. "Where is everyone?" she inquired, looking around. Jack smiled again.

            "I took care of them, don't worry." As he untied a rope, he whipped around and stuck out his hand.

            "Congratulations, Victoria, love, you have commandeered your first ship."

And so she had.

A/N: Teehee, how exciting! Ahem…I like this, despite the fact that I had writer's block as I was writing it. Next chapter, you're going to help me write!


	17. HELP! again

Hello, dear readers of mine. I was pondering on what to write for the next chapter of my story, when suddenly, I realized something-I have 3 different choices to write with! So, I want to know what your idea is!!
    
    Now, you know from chapter 15 that Thomas and Governor Reming are looking for dear Victoria, right? So they had put up a sign in all the ports to find her. And chapter 16, they have left Tortuga. So you have to help me with 2 things: where they have gone, and what happens next.  
    
    For where they're going, you have 2 choices:
    
    A) Port Royal
    
    B) Port Constantine
    
    C) Think of a better idea than the above 2!
    
    For what happens next, you have 3 choices:
    
    A) Jack returns her and gets money (L)
    
    B) Thomas actually comes and _finds_ them in Tortuga
    
    C) Someone who had seen the poster thingy sees Victoria and tries to return her, which causes commotion, because Jack is a "wanted" pirate.
    
    D) Think of a better idea than the above 3!

So I refuse to write another chapter unless you help me!  You know what to do. :::cough:::review:::cough:::


	18. I'll Write more soon, I promise!

Terribly sorry, guys, but this will have to take a short break!!!

My laptop is rented from the school, and as you might know, the school year ends next week. But they are taking our computers on Friday!!! O.O

Yes, I'm very sad as well, because everything will be gone. I'm going to spend the next…I don't know how long…transferring everything to my home computer (which is fat, old and stupid) and organizing it all over again… Harumph.

Just to let you know so that you don't worry as to why I'm not updating. I'm finishing last minute projects and studying for my gawddamn finals! I don't see where there is time to write any chapters whatsoever.

And one more thing…I need a beta reader! Anyone interested in helping me??? E-mail me!!

I must go now, love you all, tootles!!!


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